Friday, July 24, 2015

Flea Treatment for Dogs, top picks and where to get bargain prices!

07/24/2015

I recently had a flea outbreak in my house. Some years ago I had a cat that got fleas and it turned into a whole house infestation and resulted in everyone getting multiple bites and being miserable. I honestly didn't know anything about flea's up until that point and someone suggested to my mom they might be the cause of all of our bites. After trying a few other options I stumbled across frontline, within one week our house, cat, and ourselves were all flea free, no bombs, no obsessive cleaning regimes, just vacuuming a few times a week, washing all bedding, and applying frontline on the cat!

It has been about 7 years since my first encounter with fleas and I have learned a lot in the time since about animals and treatments.

I haven't tried all of the treatments on the market for fleas but there are a few I can recommend or suggest you might want to avoid!

Frontline- This was my savior when the fleas infested my moms all those years ago. I personally use this only as needed, not year round! I like the effectiveness but not the potentially harmful chemicals! This product is one of the more expensive choices coming in at around $45 for a 3 month supply.

BioSpot- This is the newest flea treatment that I have tried. I had to switch, I'm assuming the fleas in my area built up a resistance to Frontline, so I went online to see recommendations for other options. I found Biospot. This has a 3.5 star rating on amazon and 4.5 star rating on another online pet store. BioSpot is under $30 for a 6 month dose so it is MUCH cheaper than frontline! This worked to clear our dogs of fleas but it did make the dogs coat look really oily for days!

Vet's Best- Vets best has a line of natural anti-flea products. I came across this in a local pet store where a friend works and she recommended it. I bought an easy spray shampoo that kills fleas by contact that can be sprayed on carpet, bedding, and animals! The product smells great, it makes your whole house smell minty, and is much healthier to use than febreeze or other "air fresheners". I personally use it to deter fleas rather than erradicate but I 100% recommend it due to it being a natural amazing smelling product!

Sergeants Green- My mom bought me this, she found it really cheap and knows I prefer natural products in my household over chemicals. Like BioSpot this left my dogs really greasy, and the smell was unbearable. I don't know if it works or not but the smell gave me a headache and drove the dogs crazy, I had to give them a bath to get it off. I'd stay away from this one ya'll!

Hartz- I'm including the WHOLE Hartz line here. These products have been known to cause death in animals. While deaths in animals have also resulted from Frontline and probably BioSpot I have heard of MANY deaths from Hartz. The only products of theirs I will ever buy are plain rawhide, or a toy that I have inspected.

Now lets talk about how to save money!
Frontline- I have found the cheapest Frontline online. Be sure to buy from a reputable site so you get the real stuff but you can save quiet a bit of money by shopping around online. Some vets also sell the Frontline at a discounted rate!

BioSpot- I found Biospot on amazon for like $25 for a 6 month supply. A few days after buying on amazon I found 3 month supplies of BioSpot for JUST $5 at Big Lots. Flea treatment for only $1 and some change a month!

Vet's Best- I can't recommend where you can get the best price on this, I have found that most places have this product around the same price.